


Orbit

by Stingray



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: 5+1 Things, Angst, Blood, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-28 17:17:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17791520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stingray/pseuds/Stingray
Summary: It really all came down to that one factor, thatwe've basically been in love for yearsthing.Essentially, 5 times Kelly shares his clothes with Matt and 1 time Matt puts something on without asking.





	Orbit

**Author's Note:**

> Alright gang, I got a good one for you today. Bit of a mess but it's what's on the inside that counts! I think this is my first official 5+1 things?! Hope you all enjoy! x

**1.**

It was _freezing_. By the very definition. 

It had been cold at the station before, but not _this_ cold.

The central heating system at Firehouse 51 was broken and the repairman was snowed in, so the chances of them getting heat before the morning were slim.

"I've never seen you shiver." Kelly pointed out with a teasing smirk, watching as Matt tried to mess with the heating unit, his body trembling slightly and his hands shaking from the cold. "Lieutenant Casey? Cold?"

"Shut up. I'm freezing my ass off here." Matt growled as he continued working.

"I'm not. It's toasty."

"Severide. If you're not going to help, go away." Matt groaned in annoyance, clenching and unclenching his hands to try and coax the cold out of them.

"You thought I was here to help?" Kelly was grinning. A mischievous grin, easy and warm.

"When I came into the common room asking for help, and you volunteered, I assumed it was because you were actually going to do something."

"Well, I'm trying to avoid Capp because I lost a bet and now he's convinced I owe him fifty bucks. And plus, you don't need help," Kelly's smile was soft by now, "You could fix this in your sleep."

Matt looked up at the man as the machine began whirring to life. He shared a quiet look with the lieutenant beside him. Kelly was looking at the way Matt tried to rub his hands together for warmth; Matt's eyes were set on how messy, and by proxy, how _good_ Kelly's hair looked after he scrubbed a quick hand through it.

"See?" Kelly shrugged, pulling off his sweater. "Told you. Try to warm up."

Suddenly Kelly's sweater was in his hands and he was left staring at the man's back as he walked away.

Matt didn't really think about it, didn't question the reason behind it or the fact that it clearly said _'SQUAD'_ on the back. He quickly pulled it on, letting the residual warmth settle into his skin.

 

**2.**

Matt'd come over to Kelly's to watch the game, intentionally drank too much, and now he was staying over.

Was he being selfish? Staying only because he dreaded the thought of being in an empty apartment tonight? Maybe. But would he rather be anywhere else? _No_. Plus, Kelly didn't seem to mind, especially since Matt had brought a twelve-pack with him.

So they sat, they cheered when their team won, they watched the pointless post-game review. They changed the channel to something else, but by then neither of them were focused on the TV anymore. They were more attuned to each other than anything else in the world. They spoke about yesterday's call, the one that was still fresh in their minds even at this moment in time. Spoke of futures, spoke of pasts, little moments in between. They talked more than either of them normally would have, if not for the beer and the late hour. 

Matt eventually yawned and Kelly knew that he only ever yawned when he was completely exhausted, so for Matt's sake, he decided they call it a night.

Kelly, while putting the empty beer bottles away, noticed how uncomfortable Matt might become in his jeans _(pants that looked that good on a man never did seem to be made for comfort),_ so when he brought the blankets to the couch, he also took along a pair of sweatpants for Matt to change into. When Matt was under the covers, he let out a sigh. Maybe it was relief, maybe it was exhaustion. "Thanks for tonight."

"Anytime." Kelly murmured with a smile, ruffling Matt's hair before shutting off the light and making his way to his own room.

Matt was warm and comfortable at Kelly's place.

Slept like an angel too.

 

**3.**

Matt was rappelling down the side of a large hotel building, trying to find the exact window that he needed to knock in. He knew that there was a family of three here somewhere, and the fire that was spreading seemed unrelenting and unstoppable. Matt gasped as a shutter went through the building and he lost his footing, slamming into the solid wall of the eleventh storey. He muttered a curse and threw his head back in pain, loosing his beanie in the process. 

Sure enough, he was able to regain his position and he eventually found the right window. Using the tools connected to his harness, he smashed the window in and he took the small child while the truck aerial started to climb up to their height. 81's ladder wouldn't reach high enough, so Matt would definitely have to close the distance by taking the family down to the ladder one by one.

It was an excruciatingly slow and hard process, but Matt just managed to do it before the window that the family had been in front of, blew out in a secondary explosion, blasting glass and shrapnel everywhere.

Matt took a hard hit of flying debris to his left side jaw, causing a gash. A spray of more glass hit him a second later, shallowly cutting his skin in multiple spots along his face and neck. Luckily he'd covered his eyes not a moment too soon, so at least they were protected.

When he got back down to ground level, he was shaken, bleeding and a little dazed, but he'd gotten the job done and there was nothing to be sorry about.

Kelly came by while Matt was getting bandaged up at the back of an ambo. He had been struck with worry for the entirety of that _ridiculous_ hero-complex bullshit, and seeing the large explosion while Matt was _still up there_ , had caused his heart to stop dead in its tracks. It had been especially concerning when Matt hadn't moved right away. His body had been limp for a good thirty seconds _after_ the explosion and there was nothing that could be done by anyone below.

So Kelly went and checked on Matt like any good friend would. He studied his jaw, now covered with a compression bandage and enough medical tape to wrap a present. He noticed the shiver that passed through Matt as they exchanged silence and Kelly blankly wondered if it was from the shock or the cold. Nonetheless, Kelly pulled off his warm hat and placed it on Matt's own head.

Matt closed his eyes barely long enough to be intentional and then gave Kelly a silent nod. It was a message between them that only they could understand. It was a gesture that implied more than words could ever explain. It was Matt, it was Kelly. It was just—  _them_.

 

**4.**

Trouble didn't often find them at Firehouse 51, but when it did, it was never something to take lightly. 

For example. A small group of gun-toting miscreants decide to pop by, threatening to shoot the place up if they didn't get money. That was trouble. And that was to be taken seriously.

It all happened during a shift change, when things were already some level of chaotic. Kelly tried to be the hero of course, tried to talk the boys down. Matt was in the kitchen and very subtly dialled 911 while he stood behind the counter. He made no sudden motions and he didn't panic at all; he was almost statuesque. He shouldn't have been caught, but unfortunately, one guy stormed over to him because he _'looked like trouble'_ and found him with his phone in his hand.

Matt got taken to the bunk room by that same guy, pistol-whipped in the face by his friend, and shouted at by the ringleader. Matt didn't respond, didn't say anything, he didn't think that would help his case. Thankfully, he knew for a fact that the call to the police had at least gone through before his phone had been destroyed and smashed to smithereens. He wasn't entirely without hope.

They waited for hours. The police sitting outside the firehouse, trying to negotiate. The gang of teens and reckless idiots were dumb enough to shoot off a few rounds, causing the police to flood the place and take two of them down, arresting the remaining.

Matt's hands were shaking as he sat on the ground outside later. Dried blood on his face, skin pale from the shock.

That's where Kelly found him later, maybe an hour after the cops had gone and things had settled down. "There you are." He said softly.

Matt startled a little, clenching his hands into fists so they couldn't be seen shaking. He didn't turn to face Kelly, wasn't sure he could keep his emotions in check if he did. "I'm fine." He grumbled quietly.

"I know." Kelly replied slowly, gazing at Matt, "You always are."

"Guy from third-watch wouldn't have gotten shot in the leg if I hadn't tried to make that call." Matt whispered softly. With Kelly he could talk like this, with him he could let those guards down.

"But how many more would've gotten shot if you didn't call?"

"I dunno."

"Exactly. You can't know." Kelly surmised, unzipping his squad jacket and putting it around Matt's shoulders. "I'll see you inside when you're ready. Come find me and I'll help you with that blood."

With that, Matt was alone once again, but his hands weren't shaking anymore.

 

**5.**

Molly's was crowded on Christmas Eve. It was loud, there was a lot of drinking, people were cheering and laughing. Simultaneously, it was serene. It felt like home, like warmth, like waking up on a sunny day, even with the subzero temperatures outside.

As warm as it felt to the soul, it wasn't entirely a fit temperature for an establishment like this. The drinks needed no ice, if that was any indicator. The heaters weren't working at Molly's, same as every other building around the city during this power outage. It was a blackout really. The streets were dark, the buildings darker. The only _light_ thing was the snow that threatened to blind you the second you stepped outside.

Molly's had candles and flashlights and it was cozy in its own way. But nothing could stop the howling wind or the cold drafts, and no one was driving home in these conditions either.

Really it had started all of a sudden. They hadn't realized the weather was going to turn for the worst so quickly, so nobody was prepared.

A few from 51 were storm stayed here, Matt and Kelly, among them. The rest were strangers of their own respect, as eager to leave as anyone else. It was only a handful of people, but the cold didn't care.

Matt was wearing a worn-out long-sleeved shirt, he'd forgotten his coat at home and hadn't really thought much of it. He only had to face the walk from the truck to the bar, after all. _(At least that was his logic a few hours ago, when there wasn't even one flake in the air, or rustle in the trees.)_

Now though, as he sat huddled by himself in a booth, shivering, he _really_ wished he'd taken along his coat.

Somebody shuffled onto the seat next to him but he didn't think much about it.

"You look cold." Kelly shot Matt a teasing smile, causing the blonde to look up.

"I'm fine." Matt plastered his best smile on the face. He really wasn't fine, he could barely feel his fingers.

"Take my jacket." 

Matt shook his head, "You need it more than I do."

"I really don't," Kelly chuckled softly, "Herrmann's got some blankets in the back that he's going to bring out soon." His voice was quiet as he unzipped his leather jacket and helped Matt into it.

Matt sighed at the slight warmth the jacket provided, easing into the familiar leather like it was a second skin. 

A moment later, Herrmann, true to his word, began tossing out blankets, yelling something about how _sharing is caring_.

Kelly pulled the blanket they'd received over him and Matt, pulling the shivering man into his side. _It's necessity._ That's what he tells himself. He definitely isn't just trying to have a half side-hug with Matt, and he's definitely not using the cold as an excuse to do it.

Matt didn't fight it at all. For the first time in a few hours, he finally started getting warm.

 

**+1**

Disentangling himself from Kelly in the early hours of a cold January morning without waking the poor guy up proved to be quite difficult. Matt had been learning this over the last few days. 

It took him a few minutes, but he seemed to finally have the art down. He covered Kelly with the blankets and smiled down at him and his soft sleepy features. Matt went to the shower and gave himself a quick rinse, letting the heat reinvigorate his body, before quickly drying off and pulling on his briefs.

Matt didn't waste any time getting back into Kelly's bedroom. The cool air in the apartment was making him shiver, so he picked up the first shirt he found and put it on. He was about to look for his pants when Kelly stirred and slowly woke up, "Matt?" He murmured, voice still quite gravelly from sleep. He propped himself up on his elbows and located the man, squinting as he took in Matt's figure.

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

"Getting dressed." Matt shrugged, still trying to find his pants.

Kelly grinned then. A _light up your whole face_ kind of smile.

"What?" Matt looked up from his search for a moment, trying to discern the reason for Kelly's sudden gleefulness.

"Nothing." Kelly shook his head, fond expression still on his face. "Come here."

"Why?" Matt raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Because we don't have shift today and it's way too early to be awake."

"Seriously why are you so happy right now?" Matt was unable to keep himself from returning the smile that so perfectly shone from Kelly. He stepped closer to the bed, tilting his head as he dubiously studied the other man.

"You're wearing my shirt." Kelly replied with an excited twinkle in his eyes, reaching over to yank Matt down onto the bed. Matt fell on top of Kelly, who just as quickly flipped them over so he hovered over the blonde man's body.

Matt curiously looked down and realized that Kelly was correct, he was wearing his t-shirt, his favourite one at that. "Oh, sorry, man. I just grabbed—"

"No, don't be sorry." Kelly chuckled softly, leaning down for a short, sweet kiss. "I love it when you wear my clothes."

"Oh." Matt replied as a flood of realization came over him, "You do?"

"Course." Kelly replied sitting up so he could look at Matt in his entirety. Really _look_ at him. Soft black tee, fitted but also a tiny bit loose, (it _was_ Kelly's after all). Underwear, also black, tight and ending halfway his thighs. His skin contrasted with the black. His skin, pale because it was winter, warm because of the shower, soft because Matt was just _Matt_ and he was just perfect. Perfect, perfect, _perfect_.

"I love you." Three little words, slipping from Kelly's mouth as he continued to get lost in everything that was Matt. So lost that he might never be found, might never _want_ to be found.

Matt's eyes, bright. Suddenly turning from curious to surprised in the same moment that Kelly had realized what he'd said. "Oh, I uh—"

"You love me?" Matt said incredulously.

"I know that this is fast—and a lot and—and we don't even know what this is, but fuck, _yes_. I love you, Matt."

Suddenly Matt was grinning and kissing Kelly and muttering something that sounded like _yes_ or _I love you,_  maybe both.

They'd only been together in that sense for a couple of weeks, and nothing before that, so yes, it was quick, it was fast, it was a lot. But there was that factor, that _we've basically been in love for years_ thing. That set them apart from other couples, gave them a head start.

Matt's heart was beating hard as Kelly held him tight, laughing softly. "I don't want to ruin this." He said into the crisp morning air, burying his face into Matt's neck. 

"You won't." Matt whispered intransigently, hand deep into Kelly's thick hair. "We'll be okay."

Kelly smiled into Matt's heartbeat, the pulse thrumming along his neck. He was feeling alive for the first time in maybe ever. "I believe you." He said softly, kissing Matthew Casey a hundred more times, just for good measure.


End file.
